Acting is an art form that requires a combination of technical skill, emotional depth, and authenticity. To give a believable performance and make acting look real, actors should be able to tap into their emotions, create a connection with their characters, and make the audience believe that what they are seeing on stage or screen is real.Â
Here are the 10 best ways you can make your acting look real:
1. Study the script and the character
The most important step in giving a believable performance is understanding the character you are playing.
As an actor, you should be able to put yourself in the shoes of the character and understand their motivations, desires, and fears.
Take the time to study the script and get to know the character. Think about their backstory, their relationships, and their goals. By understanding the character, you will be able to give a more authentic and believable performance and your acting will look real.
2. Use personal experiences to make your acting look real
As human beings, we all have a wealth of personal experiences that we can use to enhance our performances. Think about situations in your own life that you can use to relate to the character you are playing.
For example, if you are playing a character who has experienced a recent loss, you can use your own feelings of grief and sadness to help you understand the character’s emotions.
By using your own emotions and reactions, you will be able to bring the character to life in a more authentic way.
3. Use sense memory to make your acting look real
Sense memory is a technique that actors use to help them remember and re-create emotions and experiences from their past. It is a useful tool that can help you feel the emotions of the character you are playing.
For example, if the character you are playing is feeling anxious, you can think about a time when you felt anxious and remember the physical sensations that you experienced, such as a racing heart, or a dry mouth.
By recreating these sensations, you will be able to tap into the emotions of the character more effectively.
4. Be present in the scene
One of the most important aspects of acting is being fully present in the scene. This means that you should be focused on what is happening in the scene and not think about anything else.
When you are fully present, you will be able to react more naturally and authentically to what is happening in the scene. This is essential for creating a believable performance.
5. Take risks
Acting is about taking risks, if you play it safe, you’ll never know what you’re truly capable of. When you are willing to take risks and push yourself outside of your comfort zone, you will be able to give a more dynamic and believable performance.
This means you should not be afraid to make choices that may seem bold or unconventional.
6. Use physicality to help create the character
The way you move, hold yourself and use your body can help create the character you are playing. The physicality can be as simple as the way you hold a cigarette or as complex as the way you walk.
Think about how the character you are playing would move and what kind of physicality would be appropriate for them. For example, if you are playing a character who is in a lot of pain, you might use a slow, deliberate movement to convey that pain.
7. Create a backstory for your character
Creating a backstory for your character can help you understand the character’s motivations, desires, and fears.
Think about their life before the story begins, their family, their relationships, their education, and their jobs. Even if all of this information isn’t revealed in the script, it can still help you understand the character and give a more authentic performance.
For example, if you are playing a character who has been through a lot of trauma, you can use that backstory to help you understand the character’s pain, and use it to inform your performance.
8. Use Improvisation to make your acting look real
An improvisation is a useful tool for actors, which can help you to create a more natural and believable performance. It allows you to explore different options, find new connections and motivations, and react in an authentic way.
For example, if you are playing a scene in which your character receives a piece of surprising news, you can try different responses in improvisation, thus you can see which one seems the truest and most believable.
9. Pay attention to your environment
Actors should pay attention to the environment they are performing in as well. It can influence the feeling and the atmosphere of the scene.
Think about the lighting, sound, and costumes and how they can be used to help create the character and the story. For example, if you are playing a character who is supposed to be feeling trapped, a tight, enclosed space can help convey that feeling.
10. Practice, Practice, Practice
All of the above points are just tools to help you give a more authentic and believable performance. The most important thing is to practice as much as you can.
The more you practice, the more comfortable you will become with the character and the story, which will help you give a more natural and believable performance.
Conclusion
In conclusion, these ten tips should give you an idea of how to make your acting look real. Remember that ultimately, there is no one right way to do it, and each actor develops their own unique set of tools to achieve that goal.
The most important thing is to find what works for you and practice it as much as you can. The more you practice, the more authentic and believable your performances will become.
